Do you have the same emotional investment in M Football you once did?
As I got further away from my student years at M, my passion and investment in the program actually increased as I got older, complete with all the wild swings of positivity, negativity, anger, BPONE, thrills, etc. The 2018 OSU game crushed me, but I recovered to my usual level for last season. Then came the Army game I watched in the stadium, and the Wisconsin loss. After that game I made a personal decision that I was not going to ever again get angry at college kids and coaches playing football games. I still watch every game, I still go to mgoblog daily, but if we go 9-3? Ok, there is still pleasure to be had in watching. Concerns over defensive recruiting? Yep, but ok. An OSU loss? I watched last year's game, was disappointed but never once angry or even frustrated.
I'm not in BPONE, that's a daily negative expectation, I'm in "just watch the guys play and it's ok" mode. For me there's some freedom in pulling away a bit, and I'm confident I won't be angry again at the things that used to drive me crazy.
So have any of you decided something similar? Do you still have the same emotional investment you once did?
No, but not because of getting “further away from student years” — more so because of the sad realization that Ohio State is playing an entirely different sport.
Tressel started tipping the scales pretty strongly in their favor. Urban Meyer made it so it's hard to even refer to it as a rivalry in good faith.
I'm actually trying to not take CFB as seriously as I once did. To not invest too much into it.
I just go by the saying, 'Let the players play, let the coaches coach, let the officials officiate'.
Someone recently started getting laid...
I don't actually have a gf. I lied.
no-one said anything about a relationship haha.
refreshing honesty.
I am sort of in a similar situation, but it’s more of a conscious “ok time to real your adult ass back into reality; these are kids and it’s a sport” with a subconscious “WHY THE FUCK WOULD ANYONE EVER GO ANYWHERE BUT MICHIGAN AND WHY ARENT WE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ALWAYS?!?”
Haven't quite found freedom yet...that said, the Josh Christopher thing really rubbed me the wrong way so I’m attempting to pull away from recruiting
I was trying to think about how to put my feelings into words and this op nailed it.
Recruiting is something I wish I never ever started paying attention to. What an unnecessary addition of drama to my life! Funny thing is, it started only after a friend of mine told me about a great site called mgoblog.
I think I realized a few years after college that sports will never give you ultimate satisfaction. Ok, Michigan hockey / basketball / football wins a national championship. Great, then it's back to being stressed again next year, so I've backed off living and dying by games but I still love them all
Michigan-OSU continues to be the one thing that I let affect my mental state too much. So frustrating and no hope in sight
You can make a pretty good case that *sports* will never give you ultimate satisfaction.
Every time any team wins a championship, they have to start all over again the next year. The losses are more painful when you expect them to win.
Look at Alabama. You can find Alabama fans ready to jump off a bridge after every loss. They're upset their team "only" went 11-2 last year and missed the playoffs or the BCS Championship game for the first time since <checks notes> 2013.
I sat near Bama fans at the Citrus Bowl. It was funny to hear them complaining: "we need a new D coordinator," "our O line sucks." The one thing that bothered me was the "I've always hated that fight song" referring to Michigan.
Case in point: Alabama fans.
They’ve won more big games and titles in the last 13 years than most fan bases will see in their lifetime and their supporters still blow a fucking gasket when they don’t win the NC.
Do or do not, there is no try.
I lost something after the Rich Rod years :(
Getting used to , and accepting, not just losing, but not being competitive . It took its toll on my fanaticism .
You lost something after,”the Rich Rod years?” Whew.
Honestly, no. When I was younger, I remember not talking for like two days after MSU beat Michigan on the last second. I was gutted when Michigan fumbled unnecessarily against Northwestern and lost like 54-51 or something. The 2006 OSU lost just ruined my weekend. I used to be that guy. There are a few things that have taken my emotions from passionate to apathetic:
-Getting older. I just realized that there are more important things and getting upset over football is silly.
-Lack of success. When I was young, I bought into the Michigan brand hook line and sinker. I believed this was the best, most successful football program ever brought into the world. And every single year passed by without championships or meaningful wins. I have learned over the years this program is a complete paper tiger- tons of off-season hype, good to great recruits, and no victories.
-My interest in sports has shifted dramatically. I always loved football and liked basketball. Now that I play basketball all the time, these things have flipped. I absolutely love basketball. Still enjoy football, but not as much. That, coupled with the fact that Mich bball has won a ton of shit and done everything the football program can't.
Like the Lions, Pistons, Tigers, and Wings, they'll start to earn my serious passion again once they start showing they can actually win when it counts.
This. This is literally my exact answer as well except I’m more into baseball now than football.
110% this.
The basketball program is so much more likeable and actually wins accolades and beats its rivals. And it also doesn't seem full of itself and stuck in its own world where catch phrases and an obsession with tradition are acceptable substitutes for winning when it matters the most.
How about on twitter all the time?
#Winningest
*Pukes*
You are angry. Time to realize it’s just a game. That’s the thread you’re in.
Its down to 7 games. OSU leads the series in wins in BIG 10 play all time.I dont ever remember that number being within grasp until recently. I believe ND leads in all time winning %. ttun fans will be down to "we don't care about sports, academics are #1 because we refuse to cheat like Wisconsin,PSU & Minnesota and everyone else that is cheating.
ok boomer
Its down to 7 games. OSU leads the series in wins in BIG 10 play all time.I dont ever remember that number being within grasp until recently. I believe ND leads in all time winning %. ttun fans will be down to "we don't care about sports, academics are #1 because we refuse to cheat like Wisconsin,PSU & Minnesota and everyone else that is cheating.
I didn’t get quite so upset about a loss. But I’ve started to not schedule my life around games. I’d much rather play golf or go for a long bike ride on Saturdays than watch a game live. Watching the recording, at least I can skip ahead if we are playing poorly. I’d been doing that occasionally since about 2014, but it was the 2018 OSU game that broke me. I stopped watching and reading about Michigan sports entirely. I had no idea Beilein left. My wife had to tell me when the first football game was last year. Now I’m back and much more well adjusted.
nope
Not even close.
No, not even close. I am sure part of this is due to getting older, but much larger part is being dominated by osu for my entire 'spectator' career. The first two games I watched, I peaked as a Michigan fan, Michigan Osu '97 and the following Rose Bowl vs Washington State. But, really didn't get involved until early 2000, and at that time, young foolish naive, I thought we were destined to share victories with osu every other year on home turf....My NFL team is Green Bay, still a big fan, but even that to has wained in recent years, Green Bay Sunday are more of a family event for me now rather than a watching party.
Yes - same emotional investment. But I still maintain the mindset that these are activities of educational institutions and are not professional enterprises. I recognize the playing field isn't level at the moment but that does not reduce my emotional attachment.
When I was an undergrad, we actually won a national championship. I attended every game from 1995-1999. I never would have imagined that we would be nationally obsolete in 20 years.
Since that time, we’ve seen the end of the Carr regime, the Rodriguez debacle, the Hoke ineptitude, and the Harbaugh disappointment. I follow the program, but I no longer watch the games. The way we play is depressing. Schematically, we are so far behind what the Big 12 does for example (I live in Texas), it’s unfathomable.
And then there’s our recruiting...
And then there’s Ohio State...
"so far behind what the big 12 does"
Yeah, if we're in the big 12 we win that conference at least 2 out of the 5 Harbaugh years. Let's not pretend that the giant thing in our way of getting to the next tier is some giant systemic program thing, and not Ohio State.
Hahahahahahahaha ‘behind the Big 12’, I mean Lincoln Riley is pretty impressive, but that league is otherwise pretty garbage.
I lost interest when college football became a cash cow, ticket prices went through the roof, coach salaries became ridiculous, and the football facilities arms race began.
I find it hard to believe you would keep this same mindset if Michigan was actually relevant. This just an excuse for the subpar product M keeps pumping out every season.
I appreciate this post and your perspective. It sounds like your fandom has evolved to a healthy appreciation of the team without allowing disappointments to crush you emotionally. I think that is something for which sports fans should aspire.
I personally try to focus on sports as a source of pleasure and entertainment. It is supposed to be enjoyable. I am emotionally invested, which is a paradox and occasionally conflicts with my viewpoint on the purpose of sports. When Michigan loses the big games (which happens far more often than we like), I actually look at the joyful facial expressions of the opposing players and I have found the ability to be happy for them - as they are young men achieving a lifelong goal. That allows some pleasure in the loss. I also find meaning in the losses as a good opportunity to treasure the more important things that I have to be grateful for. I turn it off and move on with something unrelated to sports media with my wife and/or kids. If the aftermath of the loss is particularly painful, I don’t look at MGoBlog, or any other sports media until the pain of the loss has worn off (usually at least a good night’s sleep). Avoiding the negative energy has become a healthy habit that allows quick recovery after losing huge games.
I feel strongly that if sports are causing suffering and undue stress, then one should find a new diversion. I love Michigan sports, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a fan. Knowing that these were all originally games invented for enjoyment helps me to keep the losses in perspective. With the big wins, I can enjoy the highs, relive the moments, read the articles/blogs, watch the highlights for hours on end (like the rest of us!). With the big losses, I quickly move on and immediately turn to another focus. That is the freedom we have as sports fans!
It gets stronger every year. Going to every home game which I started doing in 2016 intensified it so much more that when I had to watch the last 4 home games from home in 2019 on TV and break my streak I felt like I was letting The Team down.
I hope someday you prioritize what matters in life.
The Team let the fans down, you did not let them down. We have no power over what they do on Saturday.
My streak ended by my choice because we needed to start saving more to move which we did in January. That included not being at the sure-thing beatdown of msu which had fairly cheap tickets close to gameday.
That's called prioritizing.
Perhaps I should've thrown an lol at the end.
The first time I went to the Big House they didn’t have handrails.
Not even close. Lack of success and getting older have diminished my “craze”.
I’m growing less interested in sports in general with Michigan Football and the Titans the only ones still holding some level of real estate in my mind.
I used to be a huge NBA fan and it seems less like competitive sports today and more like watching WWE.
i was a die hard Kings fan during the Webber years and the lakers series that was a clear fix did it for me for the NBA.
As for college football, prior to this year I was all in on recruiting and knew every recruit we were in on and this year I’m not looking at all. I’m also not going to be scouring message boards for depth charts. My philosophy moving forward is that I will be all in once the season starts but not in between seasons. I’m also going to try to figure out how to not let losses negatively effect my day after a loss.
While I was not a huge fan of the Kings or the Lakers, I distinctly remember the absurd and overt efforts of the NBA/ refs to get the Lakers to the Finals. My heart will always go out to Kings fans, as that was one of the most blatant sports’ injustices in the last 3 decades. The Kings were such a fun team to watch - they were championship worthy. And the NBA stole it from them because of ?.
Donaghy reffed in that series and clearly fixed the game.
He was a scapegoat. The NBA was and is about pushing high televised markets and narratives.
I still remember Ralph Nader's letter in the USA Today calling for an investigation into that fourth quarter.
The refereeing in the 2002 WAS an absolute travesty - specifically Game 5.
This is a more accurate breakdown of what really happened that gets lost in the nontroversy over the series. The prism of 2 decades, people in general loathing the Lakers and the Kings' endless greivance train has rewritten history. Bottom line is that the NBA didn't screw over the Excremento Kings - the Kings did a right fine job of that in their own right.
The Kings shot more free throws over the course of the series than the Lakers. They also had more fouls called in their favor.
Game 2 gave the Kings a 13 free throw attempt advantage, Lakers lose by 6.
Game 3 gave the Kings a 20 free throw attempt advantage, Lakers lose by 13.
Game 5 gave the Kings a 10 free throw attempt advantage, Lakers lose by 1.
The Kings didn't win a single game in which they didn't have a 10+ free throw attempt advantage.
Game 6 wasn't even the worse reffed game of the series.
In Game 5, Shaq fouled out in 32 minutes of play. In those 32 minutes of play, he shot 1 free throw. It was the lowest amount of free throw attempts that he ever attempted during the playoffs while a member of the Lakers. Mitch fucking Richmond who played 3 minutes shot more free throws than Shaq did yet the only reason Scott Pollard's ugly ass ever played was to go in there and foul Shaq and that dude played 11 minutes.
In Game 6, the Lakers shot 15 more free throws than the Kings, yet the Kings missed MORE free throws than the Lakers did!
In Game 6, the Kings missed 7 free throws. They lost by 6 points.
In Game 6, the Kings intentionally fouled the Lakers 3 times at the end of the game (which the Kings were still in) giving the Lakers 6 extra free throws, cutting that 15 free throw attempt advantage down to only 9.
The refs rigged the game for the Lakers to the point that the Kings were within 1 point with 11.8 seconds left! What a massive fuck up by the crooked refs who almost let the Kings win!
Mike Bibby had a chance to tie the game with 4.6 seconds left and fucking bricked it. The Kings wish they had a Robert Horry, but instead they had Peja and Bibby.
In Game 7, the Kings fucking straight up choked. They shot 2 for 20 from the 3 point line. That's worse than Slava Medvendenko's career 3 point shooter average of 15.4%!!!
In Game 7, the Kings were 16 for 30 from the free throw line. They lost by 6 points! They literally could have won the game by making their free throws at the rate of a average high school boys basketball team.
The Kings version of Robert Horry, Peja Stojakovic, was 0 for 6 from the 3 point line in that Game 7. He had a chance to put them up by 2 with 11.8 seconds left but he bricked it. He didn't even get to play in overtime after his pathetic performance.
A complete and utter collapse. 0 for 6 for Peja. 16 for 30 shooting from the free throw line in Game 7, losing by 6 points. 2 for 20 from the 3 point line.
Only explanation for you coming to that concluding is that you’re a die hard Lakers fan. I’ve literally never met anyone in my entire life that took that stance that wasn’t a Lakers fan. That series is one of the greatest fix jobs in my lifetime. Even Shaq openly jokes about it today.
Oh I'm a complete diehard Laker fan (it predates my Michigan fandom) and I completely 100% own that. So of course I'm going to make this argument but if one's going to dismiss me out of hand became of my fandom, you have to do the same for the other side.
But, yes, I stand by my contention that the conspiracy talk is overblown and a 20/20 hindsight revision spearheaded by understandably salty Kings fans, and abetted by the fact that the Lakers are the most loathed (and loved) NBA team by a huge margin.
Each game in the seven-game series that goes the distance is equally important in determining and it's disingenuous to hone in on game 6 without also talking about game 5, which had a huge refereeing disparity in favor of the Kings (lol @ Shaq on attempting one FT) that is lost to the dustbin of history because the Lakers won the series. The Lakers didn't do enough to overcome pro-home crowd officiating in Game 5, and the Kings similarly failed to do same in Game 6, and then forgot how to shoot free throws in Game 7. You can make the pro-Kings argument that's occupied much of the oxygen and you'd have a leg to stand on, but you can just as easily make the case that Game 5's officiating cost the Lakers *that* game. The truth, I suspect, is somewhere in the middle - officiating impacted the close games (the worst offender is Samaki Walker's desperatiion 3 pointer before halftime Game 4 that probably shouldn't have counted - seeing as how Game 4 ended on a buzzer-beating 3, THAT likely impacted the actual result) and possibly favored the Lakers at times because of the starpower factor that's *always* been league-wide but that falls well short of the requirements for an Illuminati-style conspiracy
(Also, had the Kings went on to win Game 6 and the series, you'd have legions of Laker fans complaining about Game 5 in perpetuity and literally no one wants to endure that, so count your blessings y'all)
Also, re: Tim Donaghy - I discount him entirely as he wasn't a ref for that series and - to put it mildly - not the most reliable narrator here, shall we way.